I recently cataloged numerous issues of Bandwagon, a publication of the Circus Historical Society. The organization was formed in 1939, and its mission is to “preserve, promote and share through education, the history and cultural significance of the circus and allied arts, past and present.” The first issue of their journal was published in 1940 […]
In preparation for our Mapping Indianapolis panel this Saturday, I thought it was timely to highlight one of my favorite new resources available in the library – the H.B. Fatout Co., Herbert Bloemker Co., and Ernest R. Hamilton Co. Surveying Books collection. The collection includes more than 50 sketchbooks surveying Marion County, beginning in the 1880s. […]
This blog is the inaugural in a series we’re calling History Matters. We’ll be talking about the things you’re not supposed to discuss at the dinner table – things that may make some people uncomfortable. These pieces of our history are there if you look but might not be top of mind or in a […]
Happy New Year! I started my work in 2019 by cataloging a unique item, unlike anything that has ever come across my desk: a nurseryman’s sample book from the late 1880s. It belonged to Henry C. Eickhoff, a well-known nurseryman from Indianapolis. A book like this was used by salesmen to show potential customers images […]
Dec. 11 was the 202nd anniversary of Indiana’s Statehood. On that day, we usually send out a “Happy Birthday” message. These posts on social media are lighthearted ways to recognize the day. One popular image in Statehood day posts is this 1819 map of Indiana. This map, prepared by John Melish, was originally published in […]
I have been making a conscious effort to catalog more maps recently. I hate to admit it, but I sometimes neglect my duties when it comes to printed materials that aren’t books or pamphlets. For the most part, it is a simple case of “out of sight, out of mind.” Maps waiting to be cataloged […]
Here at the Indiana Historical Society, We Do History. That may seem like a blanket statement, but it’s necessary in order to describe the wide range of things we do here every day to make the past relevant for our visitors and patrons. In the library reference department, for example, we respond to more than […]
In honor of this month, here is a selection of some of Indiana history’s most spectacular mustaches. Enjoy!
Yesterday, I had the immense pleasure to meet one of the people featured in our exhibit Be Heard: Latino Experiences in Indiana, open through Saturday, Nov. 3. We rarely get the opportunity to meet with the subjects of an exhibit but the Be Heard series, which has grown out of our special collecting initiatives – LGBT, Latino and […]
We’ve highlighted some of our favorite mid-century modern designs from our collections in previous Design Month posts, but how did MCM become so successful? One word: suburbanization. Suburbanization can be loosely defined as rapid housing development which causes a population shift away from city centers. So why did housing developments increase in the middle of […]
